Biologically inert gases with optimal recreational potential

[indelibleface]

And in this context: Is it true that exhaling heavy gases like argon is more difficult to the extend that this facilitates suffocation? Or ist this more a 'scientific legend'? I always thought that the circulation of the air inflicted by simple movement of the lungs should be enough to exhale it within some breaths. Not?

The lungs are surprisingly good at circulating gasses, even heavier ones like argon or sulfur hexafluoride.

 

[Gup]

The lungs are surprisingly good at circulating gasses, even heavier ones like argon or sulfur hexafluoride.

I've heard a story about a professor who tried to demonstrate the effect of various gases on his voice -- supposedly, he got into trouble once with a heavy gas (maybe Sulfur Hexafluoride), where he couldn't expel it fast enough standing in an upright position, and had to be turned upside down by his students.

Story verges on campus-mythology though, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[seep]

^It makes sense. A standing pressure of the heavy gas would exist in the lungs. Inverting the person would be similar to inverting an open bottle of water.

I wish the price of xenon would fall, that we were to all of a sudden discover a giant bubble of xenon at the bottom of the world.

 

[Hammilton]

it's sort of a once or twice thing at current prices. but neat, nonetheless. i think I wrote a report on it, no?

 

[MurphyClox]

I've heard a story about a professor who tried to demonstrate the effect of various gases on his voice -- supposedly, he got into trouble once with a heavy gas (maybe Sulfur Hexafluoride), where he couldn't expel it fast enough standing in an upright position, and had to be turned upside down by his students.

Looking at that video, which was linked by Seep, I'm not really afraid (any more ). Xenon has a much higher density than argon and the guy in the video doesn't seem to be much affected (...suffocation-wise).

- Murphy

 

[fastandbulbous]

Methylene chloride, a.k.a. dichloromethane, hurts heavily when inhaled. I can not recommend it in any way (apart from the already mentioned carcinogenicn potential, of course). I had once - accidentally! - a deep breath of a saturated DCM-atmosphere and goddamnit, my lungs were hurting for half an hour.

- Murphy

Well when you consider it hurts like buggery through simple skin contact, inhaling it seems like a very bad idea

CO2 oxygen mixture is also supposed to be interesting I think there are some erowid reports on it, of course CO2 is not inert.

|Despite CO2 beiung a potential hal;lucinogenic compound, breathing any admixture with more than half a percent content feels like your suffocating as it's levels of CO2 that are the truigger for ventilating the lungs (I remember a practical using 5 % CO2 at uni and it was a very unpleasant experience)